A/N: I want to keep this short. You only need to know that everyone is like the book character except Enoch. That and I do whatever I want so don't hate on me if I don't follow the storyline. With that said let's just get right into this.
The ocean wind is rubbing my face while the waves are crashing against the little boat. I hold my mom's hand and squeeze it every time I feel a drop of seawater on my skin. My mom doesn't stop me from bruising her hand.
"You have to learn how to deal with it." Her words fly away in the sea breeze. There are two things she could be talking about. I don't want to think about either of them, so I just stay silent while another wave battles the boat. I hold her hand the whole time, scared that I will lose her too in the deep dark water underneath us. I know I have to let go of her one time, but not when the ocean is still floating around us. Not when I still can.
I'm glad when the boat finally arrives at the island. I drag my mom away from the boat until it's out of sight, just like the ocean. She looks worried at me, her eyes scanning my expression. I hide the fear that's slowly fading with the kilometres we walk. My mother takes the lead, clearly knowing where we're going. We don't say a word, we don't hesitate. All there was to say, she told me on the plane. We have no words left to say to each other. The dirt underneath our feet gets wetter and wetter the farther we go. The path gets smaller and smaller the more forest we pass. The fear boils up again in my stomach. It makes my feet go faster and it makes my mind silence.
I hear the ocean crashing against rocks not so far away. I try to block the sound. It only scares me away. My mother feels the tension and walks faster too. We walk until she drags me to a rock formation. My mind is still silence, ignoring everything, especially the sound of water so close by.
"You know, I still love you, this is not a punishment. It will help you." I nod, but I can't repress a question. "Will it help me get over Damon or control the..." I can't name what it actually is, but my mom understands. She strokes my hair loving, like a caring mother.
"Maybe both, maybe someone else will fill the hole Damon left." She forces a compassionate smile. Her eyes are sad and looking straight into mine. Her as green as young grass in spring, mine green as olives.
"You will be safe in the loop, honey. I think it's time for you to go." She strokes my hair for the last time, her eyes watered and trying to remember my features for the last time. I loosen my grip on her hand, slowly letting go of it. I let go of her and everything else. I'm ready to begin again. "I will miss you." I whisper before I enter the cave between the rocks. No hesitation, no tears and when I come out my mom is gone, forever.
The first thing I do is scanning my surrounding. From the garden with the tops of carrots and celery peeking out to the beach with the rough foaming water. I still get a heart attack at the thought of how close the ocean is, but I go over it fast. My eyes cling on the building on the top of the hill. Every single detail I try to imprint in my brain. It could get to use.
I see a girl running from the house to where I stand with two younger girls behind her. One of the little ones has big heavy shoes on her feet that look rather uncomfortable to me, but she runs like they're not even there. When they reach me the oldest keeps the little ones behind her back, clearly not trusting me. I wouldn't trust myself either to be honest.
"Hello fellow, what brings you here?" She talks with an old kind of politeness that irritates me. She sounds like my grandma.
"I'm Alexis, I just came to see Miss Peregrine." My mom told me to first see her, the headmistress of this place. She will tell me what my mother doesn't know. However, my mom could tell me pretty much so far. She told me about this loop that resets every day so it will be forever the third of September 1940 and the peculiar children that can do weird things. She only talked about an Emma, the only one of the children she actually knew. She makes fire with her hands, I believe. It's all new for me. I don't know more than what she said on the plane.
The oldest girl looks behind her at the two children that look extremely happy. "I'm Olive," the one with the heavy shoes says, "I hope you stay. We could use some fresh breath in the house." She smiles sheepish at me.
Then the other young girl with cute blond curls introduces herself. "Nice meeting you, I'm Claire." She puts her hands behind her back and wiggles on her feet. The oldest girl looks still at me with that careful glance. "And that's Emma, she doesn't like new peculiars, but she will get over it soon." Olive adds, pointing at the leading girl.
I take Emma, Olive and Claire in with my photographic memory. Olive grabs my hand and drags me to the house before I can finish with Claire's features. "Miss Peregrine will like to see you. It's a long time ago someone visited us." She almost hops through the garden -what seems impossible with the shoes- to the frontdoor of the wonderful house.
There I meet her, an on point lady with pointy fingernails and make up that makes her eyes seem sharp. Her hair is black like coal with some blue highlights that resemble her dark blue outfit. Her eyes narrow when she sees me coming, she looks concerned. "Welcome, dear, I'm delighted to finally meet you." Miss Peregrine shakes my hand and tells me to follow her. "You already met some of the peculiars, Olive, Claire and Emma. But there are so much more."
I can't keep my eyes of the old design of the house. The wallpaper, warm brown and the wooden floor, lightly cracking underneath my feet. It all feels like a dream. I gasp at the porcelain cupboards that are exposed and the authentic pieces of art on the walls. "I will introduce all my children at dinner. If you stay, of course." She turns around, still with a little bit of concern in her eyes.
"I would love to stay, if that's not a problem." Miss Peregrine laughs softly and comforting. "My dear, you can stay as long as you want to." She turns back at me again and walks to the staircase of dark oak wood. She's graceful as she walks the uneven stairs while I probably look like a baby giraffe that walks for the first time. I can't stop scanning everything and saving it for later. There's just so much to see.
When I'm upstairs I almost trip over a clay figure that's as big as my hand. I pick it up. Miss Peregrine looks at me because I wasn't walking behind her anymore and sees the figure in my hand. "That's Enoch's. You can give him after dinner." With that I put the doll in my pocket and fasten to keep up with Miss Peregrine.
Miss Peregrine showed me my room that I share with Bronwyn. I haven't seen the girl, but I hope she doesn't mind me joining for tonight. After the tour in the house it's time for dinner. I'm excited to meet everyone.
When I enter the dining room it gets silent. All the children around the table are looking at me and I get shy suddenly. I touch my French braid, that's still messy from the ocean wind, nervously. Miss Peregrine comes from behind me and pushes me softly into the room. "Children, what did I say? Staring isn't polite." All the heads turn away and the wall seems very interesting suddenly. Well, all the heads except two. Olive keeps smiling at me with her bright white teeth and the other one is a boy I haven't met yet. It looks like he doesn't really like my presence because he has a grumpy look on his face.
"Let's all introduce ourselves to our guest." Miss Peregrine says while she's sitting down on her chair at the head of the table. I take the free place next to Olive who's still happy I'm here. There's also one chair left next to Miss Peregrine but with Emma on the other side I don't feel really comfortable sitting there. "Bronwyn, you can start."
The girl next to Miss Peregrine starts to talk. "I'm Bronwyn Bruntley and I'm your roommate, I heard. We're going to have a great time." Miss Peregrine touches her with her elbow to continue. "Oh yeah, and my peculiarity is super strength." The girl adds. Bronwyn looks a year or two younger than me, the closest to my age except from Emma, who looks like she's the same age as me. She probably didn't want me as roommate.
"I'm next!" Olive squeals. "I already know you, honey." I sound like my mother, I realize. "Olive Abroholos Elephanta, lighter than air." She says anyway. That explains the heavy shoes and the belt that keeps her on her chair.
"Then it's me I suppose." The shyness comes back when everyone is looking at me again. I hate it when all the eyes are on me. "I'm Alexis Archer..." They're hanging on my lips, like I'm telling a secret. "and I don't know what my peculiarity is."
"Yes, you do." Miss Peregrine declares. I feel really uncomfortable under the gasp of the children, all of them are expecting some great power. "Uhmm... I haven't really figured out how to name it."
The headmistress gives me a smile. "It's just one word, dear. Not that difficult, is it?" I sight, I can't find a way to get it out of my throat. After an awkward second I try my voice and I try the word for the first time. "Illusionist." It sounds weird in my ears. It's weird that I can describe myself just with one word: illusionist.
"Show it!" Olive blurts out next to me. Her eyes cling on me and she looks hyperactive. "Please?" She adds after a warning glance of Miss Peregrine.
"Okay." I get unsure about what I should show them. I close my eyes and begin to imagine, hoping they will like it. First I imagine the ceiling disappearing. It changes into a sky filled with twinkling stars and the full moon that shines bright like a flashlight shining into the room. Next I imagine a few falling stars with lighting tails. I open my eyes, hoping I wasn't sitting here as a moron with closed eyes.
I see the night sky above me, where the ceiling used to be and the children gasping at the sight. Clair whispers a wish upon a star and the boy in between us has to say her that the stars she sees now are not real. I turn my eyes to Miss Peregrine for approval and she smiles bright back. She mouths me that I've done great. I slowly let my illusion fade away until the ceiling is back from never being gone.
I hear some wows around the table. The boy next to me doesn't seem to be that impressed and begins to introduce himself. "Horace Somnusson, predictive dreams, nice to meet you." He bows a little bit for me. I like his suit and top hat very much, so I tell him. He is clearly flattered and some other kids are making grumpy noises from the other side of the table.
Next is Claire Densmore who demonstrates her mouth at the back of her head and then we go to the other side of the table. Hugh Apiston takes the word for Fiona Frauenfeld, who can grow plants, and himself. While he speaks a bee flies out of his mouth what's also his peculiarity: bees in his stomach.
The grumpy kid that was staring at me introduces himself as Enoch. "I'm Enoch O'Connor and it's not proper to discuss my peculiarity at the table." Hugh elbows him in the ribs. He gets a death glare from Enoch. "I raise the death and dolls with the hearts I find." He tells me anyway. I don't know if he's joking, but then I feel the clay figure in my pocket and decide to believe him.
"Emma Bloom, fire hands." She doesn't say more and I expect we got everyone. But a voice that comes from nowhere scares the crap out of me. "I'm Millard Nullings and as you can see, I'm invisible." I'm still recovering of the hearth attack that the invisible boy gave me while Miss Peregrine sends him away to put clothes on. I'm glad I didn't want to sit next to Emma. That would be ten times more awkward than this night already is.
I chat with my neighbours, especially Horace, who's really nice. While Olive is still enthusiastic about my show. Everyone leaves dinner except from Horace and me, we keep discussing the best way to dress. He seems to be interested in the fashion of my time, especially suits, of course. "No one else cares, you know, about clothing. But I think it shows your status and who you are." I nod, not able to add anything.
It's silent for a minute before he begins a more serious subject. "Do you want me to tell you about your future?" I sense that Horace feels also a little bit uncomfortable asking. I certainly do. "Well, why not?" I don't know what he's going to do, but I hope it doesn't hurt. He takes my hand carefully and closes his eyes. I stare expectantly at him. Without knowing it myself I scan him. From the top hat on his blond hair to the tips of his leather shoes. I feel guilty for it afterwards, but he's still sitting there with my hand in his and his eyes closed. He smirks when he opens them.
"I see, I see," he says in a wizardly way, "your new best friend, that's me to be clear," I laugh at that, but I would like Horace as a friend, even if he's younger. "and another special person in your life." I lean closer, looking deep in his eyes. "Who?" He must be joking, or he saw Damon. But that's impossible because Damon is death. "You wouldn't believe me if I told." His breath against my face.
"Who is it?" I ask stubbornly. Horace looks deep in my eyes and decides not to tell me.